The rice industry seems promising

TIMES INT'L

Dear Editor,

Earlier this year, we learnt that the Ministry of Agriculture is looking at producing 400,000 tonnes of rice for 2011, and many people questioned this target, as we were hit by floods that caused some farmers to lose quite a substantial amount of rice. However, 200,000 tonnes of rice have already been harvested for the first rice crop for this year, which means that achieving that target for the year is possible, and could even be surpassed, since there is another crop before the end of the year. This is indeed reassuring news, and no doubt this is as a result of the government’s commitment to seeing the rice industry progress.

The rice seed facilities across the country have played a vital role in generating the high level of growth in rice production in recent years, as they provide quality seed paddy which is the backbone to producing highquality rice. Government has also been assisting farmers to cultivate their lands and to cope with unstable weather patterns as a result of climate change. Not so long ago, the government opened a Gy$ 30million rice seed drying facility in Burma, Mahaicony. Editor, this is a very important project, since it has enabled farmers to dry their paddy even during bad weather.

Another remarkable intervention by the government is the two new varieties of rice they introduced in 2009, which made the sector more durable to the consequences of climate change.

Rice is one of the main export commodities of Guyana, and it is important that we keep our markets and get new ones in order to raise more foreign exchange. So, I commend the government for its continuous support to the farmers.

Yours sincerely,

Felicia Johnson

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